Alfred Hitchcock: So Quick with the Quip

 

It’s hard to believe that Alfred Hitchcock has been dead for 32 years. One of the few directors from the Golden Age who remains a household name, Hitchcock can still pack the house. This Sunday, December 4 at 11:00am, Facets hosts a screening of Vertigo, followed by a discussion with mystery writer Sara Paretsky and psychologist James W. Anderson.

 

In addition to being one of classic Hollywood’s three greatest directors, Hitchcock understood the value of publicity. He was not only a Master of Suspense but a master at manipulating the press to grab the spotlight from movie stars, who dominated coverage in the entertainment press. Hitchcock understood that a high profile among mainstream viewers was directly connected to box office revenue, and popular success gave him clout with his studio. Here a few of his oft-repeated quips, observations, and retorts.

• “What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out.”
• “There is not terror in a bang [an onscreen explosion or crash], only in the anticipation of it.” [Hope Michael Bay is reading this.]
• “As far as I’m concerned, the film has been made on paper, that’s the most important and fascinating stage . . . .I wish I didn’t have to go into a studio.”
• “Our evil and our good are getting closer together today.”
• “Television has brought back murder into the home—where it belongs.”
• “When an actor comes to me and wants to discuss his character, I say, ‘It’s in the script.’ If he says, ‘But what’s my motivation?,’ I say, ‘Your salary.’” [Hitchcock made short-shrift of fussy method actors.]
• “I never said all actors are cattle; what I said was all actors should be treated like cattle.”
• “If I made Cinderella, the audience would immediately be looking for a body in the coach.”  [Hitchcock was aware that he had branded himself and was proud that audiences knew what  a Hitchcock film was.]
• “If it’s a good movie, the sound could go off and the audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of what was going on.”
• Mother: “My daughter won’t take a shower after seeing Psycho!” 
Hitchcock: “Have her dry cleaned.”